@BackOfTheCAGE
BOTC is opening our Fall 2015 through Summer 2016 thread covering the Boys 2027-1st Grade age group.
What teams are the best in this age group to developtheboys year round and to get in on a good club to stay withtheclub throughhighschool?
Originally Posted by Anonymous
What teams are the best in this age group to developtheboys year round and to get in on a good club to stay withtheclub throughhighschool?


My son just finished his kindergarten club ball with 91. He's getting looked at by Virginia and UNC, but we're hoping after 3rd grade to meet with Denver. Fingers crossed!!!
Originally Posted by Anonymous
What teams are the best in this age group to developtheboys year round and to get in on a good club to stay withtheclub throughhighschool?


None at this age....
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
What teams are the best in this age group to developtheboys year round and to get in on a good club to stay withtheclub throughhighschool?


My son just finished his kindergarten club ball with 91. He's getting looked at by Virginia and UNC, but we're hoping after 3rd grade to meet with Denver. Fingers crossed!!!

Oh Yeah well I heard your club stinks and you have that crazy Mom that runs up and down the sideline screaming at everybody and the Daddy coach only plays his kid. My club is the best because my kid is going D1 on a full ride. Just trying to get the thread off on the right foot.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
What teams are the best in this age group to developtheboys year round and to get in on a good club to stay withtheclub throughhighschool?


My son just finished his kindergarten club ball with 91. He's getting looked at by Virginia and UNC, but we're hoping after 3rd grade to meet with Denver. Fingers crossed!!!


You seem pretty savvy, so I am assuming you timed his birth to fall just after the cut off, and had him repeat kindergarten already. It isn't too early to look at the right prep schools to repeat 8th as well. Speed and weight training are really important. You need to remember that Some top-tier schools NEVER consider a player until he is at least 12 or in the 4th grade, which ever comes first. Good luck.
You guys are funny.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
What teams are the best in this age group to developtheboys year round and to get in on a good club to stay withtheclub throughhighschool?


My son just finished his kindergarten club ball with 91. He's getting looked at by Virginia and UNC, but we're hoping after 3rd grade to meet with Denver. Fingers crossed!!!


You seem pretty savvy, so I am assuming you timed his birth to fall just after the cut off, and had him repeat kindergarten already. It isn't too early to look at the right prep schools to repeat 8th as well. Speed and weight training are really important. You need to remember that Some top-tier schools NEVER consider a player until he is at least 12 or in the 4th grade, which ever comes first. Good luck.


These threads are awesome!!!!!
Originally Posted by Anonymous
What teams are the best in this age group to developtheboys year round and to get in on a good club to stay withtheclub throughhighschool?


Honest answer, the backyard is the answer for the best club. Always there, inexpensive, doesn't disappear at critical times. Could be run by coach Mommy or Daddy. Good luck!
Why does this thread even exist? We have to stop feeding this insanity. There should be no club options at this age. Camps, clinics and PAL should be enough. Play catch with your child on the backyard. And PLAY OTHER SPORTS. Responsible parenting would not enter club ball until 4th grade.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Why does this thread even exist? We have to stop feeding this insanity. There should be no club options at this age. Camps, clinics and PAL should be enough. Play catch with your child on the backyard. And PLAY OTHER SPORTS. Responsible parenting would not enter club ball until 4th grade.


The 1st grade threads were requested AND why not try and help the parents of the first time players? Is there something wrong with that?
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Why does this thread even exist? We have to stop feeding this insanity. There should be no club options at this age. Camps, clinics and PAL should be enough. Play catch with your child on the backyard. And PLAY OTHER SPORTS. Responsible parenting would not enter club ball until 4th grade.

If you wait until 4th grade to tryout for a great team...it will be too late. The club will take your $100 tryout fee and your kid doesn't get on the team.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Why does this thread even exist? We have to stop feeding this insanity. There should be no club options at this age. Camps, clinics and PAL should be enough. Play catch with your child on the backyard. And PLAY OTHER SPORTS. Responsible parenting would not enter club ball until 4th grade.


That is just your view, the answer is they should start when they are ready and a parent would know when. But you can bet 1st grade is too soon for true Travel. Only a very few exceptions to the rule. (My son of course, kidding)
Not true...if they are good enough and can make a difference ANY team will take them.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Not true...if they are good enough and can make a difference ANY team will take them.

Igloo had their team rigged last year and some of the better kids didn't get on. I know some kids whose parentsknew the evaluators and those kids got on the team when normally the never would have. The same is true at the other top clubs, etc....
Bottom line is get your kid on a club early. Tryouts later on down the road are money grabbers! Every Director knows that!
Every team has the kids who got on because a phone call was made. Happens in lax. Happens in life. Unfortunately. But it is true get on a travel earlier than later. Once a team is together a year or two it's much harder for a new player to get on. You either have to bump a player or go for a spot because a player left. Less and less turnover each year. Choose your club carefully and hopefully it will work out and the boys will stay together And build chemistry. It's clear those teams that have played together for a few years. Usually very very good.
This is a clear case of you not knowing what your talking about. According to you some kids should of made it over others. I'm not saying evaluators are perfect; and you may be right there are kids that slip through the cracks because an evaluator is writing something when a kid makes a play. But to say the Igloo tryouts were rigged is not true at all. I've been to a lot of tryouts and their tryout is the most fair I've ever seen. All kids get a ton of reps and opportunities. Now what I think your saying which is true; NO TRYOUT Format is perfect... but some come closer then others. And I personally think that Igloo does it as good as they can.
my God. is this actually 1st grade travel lacrosse?? how does one evaluate this age? maybe......maybe u get one kid that can throw and catch. sorry but I honestly believe kids at that age should be playing PAL lacrosse. not thrown into season long tournament play constantly playing three four games a day every weekend. this lax world is getting crazy. too much pressure now.
Nobody says you have to do it. To each there own.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
my God. is this actually 1st grade travel lacrosse?? how does one evaluate this age? maybe......maybe u get one kid that can throw and catch. sorry but I honestly believe kids at that age should be playing PAL lacrosse. not thrown into season long tournament play constantly playing three four games a day every weekend. this lax world is getting crazy. too much pressure now.


Most clubs have K-1 teams. They are practice/clinic teams. No tournaments. But yes, being on one of them is assuring you'll make the 2nd grade tournament team. To think it doesn't makes you completely naive.
You dont know what your talking about. Clubs have clinics maybe, they don't have k 1 teams. Sometimes 1st graders may play up on 2 nd grade teams against other 2 nd grade teams. There is no such thing as a practice/clinic team.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
You dont know what your talking about. Clubs have clinics maybe, they don't have k 1 teams. Sometimes 1st graders may play up on 2 nd grade teams against other 2 nd grade teams. There is no such thing as a practice/clinic team.


Igloo has the Penguin program... There are others.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
my God. is this actually 1st grade travel lacrosse?? how does one evaluate this age? maybe......maybe u get one kid that can throw and catch. sorry but I honestly believe kids at that age should be playing PAL lacrosse. not thrown into season long tournament play constantly playing three four games a day every weekend. this lax world is getting crazy. too much pressure now.


Most clubs have K-1 teams. They are practice/clinic teams. No tournaments. But yes, being on one of them is assuring you'll make the 2nd grade tournament team. To think it doesn't makes you completely naive.


2nd grade is too early
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
my God. is this actually 1st grade travel lacrosse?? how does one evaluate this age? maybe......maybe u get one kid that can throw and catch. sorry but I honestly believe kids at that age should be playing PAL lacrosse. not thrown into season long tournament play constantly playing three four games a day every weekend. this lax world is getting crazy. too much pressure now.


Most clubs have K-1 teams. They are practice/clinic teams. No tournaments. But yes, being on one of them is assuring you'll make the 2nd grade tournament team. To think it doesn't makes you completely naive.


2nd grade is too early


Club (travel) lax used top start at one point at the 4th grade level. Then a few years ago 2nd grade teams started being put together as "instructional type teams". Now instructional teams are at 1st grade??? Wow.
Crazy parents ask so they deliver
Originally Posted by Anonymous
You dont know what your talking about. Clubs have clinics maybe, they don't have k 1 teams. Sometimes 1st graders may play up on 2 nd grade teams against other 2 nd grade teams. There is no such thing as a practice/clinic team.


Do some research, jackass. The times are changing.
I have a 2017 D1 commit. My other sons who are older also played lacrosse, but didn't have the interest to play at the same level and moved onto other activities. Of the 15 or so D1 recruits we have seen over the years, only one was a standout at a young age, and my boys didn't start to play until 3rd or 4th grade. The majority of the kids we know who were recruited started to peak in 7th and 8th grade, some because of advanced puberty (which unfortunately for players, and eventually coaches, is a factor in early recruiting, and some coaches will regret picking some of those kids). Others who were not necessarily larger just got better because the had to work harder and developed speed and IQ.

On every one of my kid's teams the "best" kid on their youth teams from grades 3-6 ended up being just okay, and none played in college so far. At least two of those kids were, in my opinion harmed by over zealous dads.

I would say this, avoid teams with dad coaches who are obsessed with their own sons at the expense of the team, especially if your kid plays on the same side of the field. The exception would be if the coach's kid is a goalie or fogo which is fine. Get a good coach who develops THE WHOLE TEAM. If this isn't happening, there will be team drama, which wastes time and energy and players won't have to get better to keep up.

Let your son play and have fun. Skip the expensive clinics and bring him and his buddies along with a bucket of balls to the local high school to play 3x3 WHILE YOU RUN THE TRACK, or set up a net in the back yard. Focus on school, and other sports. If he is going to be a great player, it will be a result of his drive. My son going D1 is less talented than one of my other sons, but he has drive and wants to work at it. The other son has other passions, but lax isn't one, he had fun playing but no interest in working out or shooting 100 balls into a net at a time, and that is fine too. He's accomplished at other activities.

Understand the realities of college lacrosse. Typically, D1 players get between 20-20%, at a (today) $50-60K/yr school. Financially academic merit scholarships will go farther than lax, so make sure grades are important. Some schools offer no athletic scholarships. The only "full ride" for lax players are the service academies, but your son will need to meet the other requirements and serve in the military.
Not many kids want to go to the academies because you are not getting that college life experience. And you have to give them 5 yrs. I don't know maybe I'm wrong. And from what I see many top players do not want to go there.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
I have a 2017 D1 commit. My other sons who are older also played lacrosse, but didn't have the interest to play at the same level and moved onto other activities. Of the 15 or so D1 recruits we have seen over the years, only one was a standout at a young age, and my boys didn't start to play until 3rd or 4th grade. The majority of the kids we know who were recruited started to peak in 7th and 8th grade, some because of advanced puberty (which unfortunately for players, and eventually coaches, is a factor in early recruiting, and some coaches will regret picking some of those kids). Others who were not necessarily larger just got better because the had to work harder and developed speed and IQ.

On every one of my kid's teams the "best" kid on their youth teams from grades 3-6 ended up being just okay, and none played in college so far. At least two of those kids were, in my opinion harmed by over zealous dads.

I would say this, avoid teams with dad coaches who are obsessed with their own sons at the expense of the team, especially if your kid plays on the same side of the field. The exception would be if the coach's kid is a goalie or fogo which is fine. Get a good coach who develops THE WHOLE TEAM. If this isn't happening, there will be team drama, which wastes time and energy and players won't have to get better to keep up.

Let your son play and have fun. Skip the expensive clinics and bring him and his buddies along with a bucket of balls to the local high school to play 3x3 WHILE YOU RUN THE TRACK, or set up a net in the back yard. Focus on school, and other sports. If he is going to be a great player, it will be a result of his drive. My son going D1 is less talented than one of my other sons, but he has drive and wants to work at it. The other son has other passions, but lax isn't one, he had fun playing but no interest in working out or shooting 100 balls into a net at a time, and that is fine too. He's accomplished at other activities.

Understand the realities of college lacrosse. Typically, D1 players get between 20-20%, at a (today) $50-60K/yr school. Financially academic merit scholarships will go farther than lax, so make sure grades are important. Some schools offer no athletic scholarships. The only "full ride" for lax players are the service academies, but your son will need to meet the other requirements and serve in the military.


great advice. however i think any parents signing their 1st grader up for club lax will ignore
Originally Posted by Anonymous
I have a 2017 D1 commit. My other sons who are older also played lacrosse, but didn't have the interest to play at the same level and moved onto other activities. Of the 15 or so D1 recruits we have seen over the years, only one was a standout at a young age, and my boys didn't start to play until 3rd or 4th grade. The majority of the kids we know who were recruited started to peak in 7th and 8th grade, some because of advanced puberty (which unfortunately for players, and eventually coaches, is a factor in early recruiting, and some coaches will regret picking some of those kids). Others who were not necessarily larger just got better because the had to work harder and developed speed and IQ.

On every one of my kid's teams the "best" kid on their youth teams from grades 3-6 ended up being just okay, and none played in college so far. At least two of those kids were, in my opinion harmed by over zealous dads.

I would say this, avoid teams with dad coaches who are obsessed with their own sons at the expense of the team, especially if your kid plays on the same side of the field. The exception would be if the coach's kid is a goalie or fogo which is fine. Get a good coach who develops THE WHOLE TEAM. If this isn't happening, there will be team drama, which wastes time and energy and players won't have to get better to keep up.

Let your son play and have fun. Skip the expensive clinics and bring him and his buddies along with a bucket of balls to the local high school to play 3x3 WHILE YOU RUN THE TRACK, or set up a net in the back yard. Focus on school, and other sports. If he is going to be a great player, it will be a result of his drive. My son going D1 is less talented than one of my other sons, but he has drive and wants to work at it. The other son has other passions, but lax isn't one, he had fun playing but no interest in working out or shooting 100 balls into a net at a time, and that is fine too. He's accomplished at other activities.

Understand the realities of college lacrosse. Typically, D1 players get between 20-20%, at a (today) $50-60K/yr school. Financially academic merit scholarships will go farther than lax, so make sure grades are important. Some schools offer no athletic scholarships. The only "full ride" for lax players are the service academies, but your son will need to meet the other requirements and serve in the military.


dude, you have kids in college now and a 2027? Good for you!
Buy a rebounder a stick and some gear. Let your son play when he chooses, throw the ball with him and sign him up or a local clinic or two. Expose him to the game, do not burden him with responsibility and timelines within the sport. Make sure he is having fun.

Club ball at 1st grade is way over the top.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Buy a rebounder a stick and some gear. Let your son play when he chooses, throw the ball with him and sign him up or a local clinic or two. Expose him to the game, do not burden him with responsibility and timelines within the sport. Make sure he is having fun.

Club ball at 1st grade is way over the top.


Who has a program and then who has the best or most active kids program?
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